Rotary engine.



No. 686,482. Patented Nov. I2, l90l.

H. E. SMALLBNE. ROTARY ENGINE.

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A ROTARY ENGINE.

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, ROTARY ENGINE.

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No. 686,482. Patented Nov. l2, |90I.

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ROTARY ENGINE.

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No. 686,482. Patented Nov. I2, I90I.

. H. E. SMALLBUNE.

ROTARY ENGINE.'

` (Application led Feb. 11, 1901.) y y (nb Model.) e sham-sheet 6.

s i UNITED STATES HARRY E. SMALLBONE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM J. URQUHART AND SAMUEL E. MCDOWELL, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters Patent N o. 686,482, dated November 12, 1901. I 'Applicationiiled February 11, 1901;.Y Serial No. 46,801. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/.q

Beit known that I, HARRY E. SMALLBQNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.-

My invention relates to improvements in rotary multiple-piston engines of the type in Io which the steam or other motive fluid acts in cylinders againstreciprocating pistons,which in turn eect rotary movement 'of the cylinders, from which the power is taken.

My object is to provide'improvements in the construction of engines of the above general type in which the direct as well as the expansive force of steam may be utilized, in the operation of which there shall be a practicallycontinuous unvarying force exerted to zo propel the moving parts with no dead-centers to overcome, and which shall be of a construction adapting it for use upon motor-vehicles or wherever'weight, dimensions, general outline, and power are matters of importance.

In the drawings, Figure l is a View in elevation of rnyimproved engine; Fig. 2, a plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a section taken on irregular line 3 in Fig. 1,`showi ng a valve for 3o starting, stopping, and reversing the engine; Fig. 4, a section 'taken on line i in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, an enlarged broken section corresponding with the section in Fig. 4, but showing further details of construction; Fig. 6, an en- 3 5 larged view in elevation of a wabbling disk or frame with which the pistou-rods and both sets of cylinders are pivotally connected; and

Figs. 7, 8, and 9, enlarged sections on lines 7, 8, and 9 in Fig. l and Viewed in the direction 4o of the arrows.l

A is a base plate or frame of angular form, as indicated, and carrying toward each end outer standards a'ctand inner standardsb l). On the standards civ are vjournal-boxes d for the ends of shafts B B. The shafts B B are in the same perpendicular plane, but extend toward a common centerin planes at an angle to each other of preferably forty-five degrees. On the standards l) are stationary motor-fluid 5o or steam chests C, also forming journals for the shafts B B. Leading into opposite sides .of the steam chests are inlet and exhaust pipes C' C2. In the further description I will idesignate pipe C' as the inlet-pipe and pipe C2 as the I exhaust-pipe, though in reversing the engine they will be reversed, as hereinafter explained. At each steam-chest the inlet-pipe communicates withacored passage extending to a ,port c, and the exhaust- .4 pipe communicates with a port c' through a 6o cored passage. The ports c o are in the tapering convex face o2 of the steam-chest, against which the rear ends of the cylinders rotate, as hereinafter described. The port c is at the center of a recess c3 in the face c2, and the port c' is at the center of a recess c'i in the said face. It will be understood that the cylinders rotate against thel `outer and Vinner ring-surfaces c5 (see Fig. 9) of the steam-chests and also against segmental surfaces o6, all-of which together form the bearing-surfaces of the steam-chests. The segmental surfaces o6 separate the recesses c3 c4 at diametrically opposite points and form `stationary valves which open and close the cylinder-ports as the cylinders rotate. On shaft B is a set or pair of companion cylinders D D', and onthe shaft B is a pair of cylinders E E'. As the pairs of cylinders are lofsimilar construction, a description of one pair will suffice for the other. The cylinders of each pair are formed integral with a connecting boss or web 'f between them. The Web has acentral opening f to fit over the shaft which turns with and forms the axis of rotation of the cylinders. The cylinder-heads of each pair are formed by a plate F, fitting against and bolted to the cylinders and presenting at its central portion a projecting disk F of the same diameter as the ring-surface o5 of the steam-chest and having a frustoconical concave bearing-face coinciding with the convex face c2. The face of the part F extends in the plane of the surfaces c5 c6 or bearing-face of the steam-chest and lits in rotating contact steam-tight against the same. Extending through the part F into each cylinder is a port g, which may be of the relative dimensions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 9. In the cylinders D D' are similarlyconstructed pistons G G', and in the-cylinders E E are corresponding pistons. The

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pistons are of a common cylindrical construction with heads 7L, and pivotally connected with the pistons are the piston or connecting rods h. Between the adjacent open ends of the cylinders is a wabbling disk or frame H, which may be of the form shown in Fig. 6 and provided with four radial arms H H2 H3 H4. At t-he outer ends of the arms are radially-extending trunnions t', and between their ends the arms are provided with longitudinally-extending slots i'. The piston-rods h are pivotally connected at their free ends in the slots t of the wabbling frame. The cylinders D D extend in a plane transversely of the machine at rightangles to the cylinders E E', so that their piston-rods connect with the fralne I-I at diametrically opposite slots i', while the piston-rods of the cylinders E E connect with the other diametrically opposite slots i'. Firmly secured to opposite sides of the webf, between the cylinders D D', are bracket-arms I I', and rmly secured to the web between the cylinders E E are bracket-arms K K. The bracket-arms are all of thesame length and project the same distance beyond the ends of the cylinders. In the free ends of the bracket arms are bearing-openings k to receive the trunnions z' of the wabbling frame. For additional strength the bracket-arms are connected between their ends with the end portions of the cylinders by means of brace-bars Z, as shown.

L is a valve for starting, stopping, and reversing the engine. It is shown in the form of a four-Way plug-valve with a handle L. The port m of the valve communicates with a steam-supply pipe M, the port m' communicates with a steam-exhaust pipe M', and the ports m2 m3 communicate with the branch pipes C' C2, which extend to the steam-chests of the engine, as before described. As indicated by the position of the valve in Fig. 3, steam from the pipe M is flowing to the pipes O,while the exhaust from the cylinders passes through the pipes C2 to the pipe M.

The operation is as follows: When the cylinders extend in the relation to their steamchests indicated in Fig. 9, the ports g are blanked or closed by the stationary valves c6. When the cylinders are revolved with their shafts so that the ports g are open to the recesses c3 c4, steam will enter that one of each pair of the cylinders whose port registers with the respective recess c3 and exhaust from the other of the pair of cylinders through the recess c4. The figures show the piston G of the cylinder D at the end of its outstroke, the piston G' of the cylinder D at the end of its instroke, and the pistons ofthe cylinders E E about midway of their strokes, one moving inward and the other outward. The opening and closing of ports g to the inlet and exhaust sides of the steam-chest is so timed that when a piston on one side has moved half a stroke in one direction the next piston of the other pair of cylinders commences its similar stroke either in or out, so that the pistons act in rotation alternately from opposite sides. In the outstroke of a piston its connecting-rod moves the arm of the frame H with which it is connected in the outer direction, which can only be accomplished, owing to the relative angles of the shafts B B', by turning the frame and both sets of cylinders axially and oscillating the frame on the pivots aorded by the bracket-arms. The ontward movement of the piston of one pair, therefore, rocks the frame H in a manner to force the piston of the other cylinder of the same pair inward, producing the exhaust. This operation takes place alternately at opposite sides of the frame H, producing a continuous rotation of the frame, cylinders, and shafts B B. Thus I produce afour-cylinder engine, two of which at respectively opposite sides are exerting power to rotate the shafts B B/ while the other two cylinders are exhausting. IVith this construction there are no dead-centers, and no fly-wheel is necessary,while the power exerted is approximately uniform and the moving parts well balanced. As the ports g pass across the recesses c3 and ports c the piston of the respective cylinder is subjected to the direct action of the steam entering from the port c, and while the port is passing the surface c6 the steam admitted to the cylinder has a chance to expand and exert its expansive force, as is usual. The surfaces c6 thus perform the function of cuto valves. In the construction of the engine the surfaces or Valves c6 may be of any desired extent to regulate the cut-off.

When it is desired to reverse the engine, the plug-valve L is turned to bring the steampipe M into communication with the pipes C2 and the pipes C into communication with the exhaust-pipe M. This causes steam to enter the valve-chests at the ports c' and effect the reversal in a well-known manner.

It will be understood that the Valve L is shown merely as an expedient, and any other means for producing the same functions may be substituted therefor.

While I 'have shown a construction of my improvements adapting them for use with steam as a motive iluid, obviously it may be readily adapted with more or less slight variations for use with other motive fluids.

Pulleys or gear-wheels may be provided upon the shafts B B, from which thepower may be taken. In applying my engine to a motor-vehicle one of the shafts may extend parallel with the driving-axle of the vehicle and be geared thereto with straight gears or driving-belts, while the other shaft may be geared to the axle by means of bevel-gears or the like.

The drawings show my improved engine of one desirable construction; but this construction may be changed to adapt it to dierent purposes, and the various details of construction may be modified without departing from tlllesplrit of my invention as defined by the c aims.

ICO

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What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. In a rotary engine, sets of companion cylinders at an angle to each other, pistons in said cylinders, and a wabblin g frame, between the sets of cylinders, with which the pistons are connected to operate, substantially as set forth.

2. In a rotary engine, sets of companion cylinders at an angle to each other, pistons in said cylinders, and a'wabblin g frame, between and pivotally connected with the sets of cylinders, with which the pistons are pivotally connected to operate, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary engine, two shafts extending toward a common center, a pair of companion cylinders rotatably mounted on each said shaft, a piston in each cylinder, and a wabbling frame, at said common center, with which the pistons are connected to operate, substantially as set forth.

4. In a rotary engine, two shafts extending 'each other, pistons in said cylinders, and a wabbling frame, between the sets of cylinders, provided with outer trunnions pivotally connected with the cylinders, and pivotally connected, within the trunnions, with the pistons to operate, substantially as set forth.

7.v In a rotary engine, the combination of sets of companion cylinders, at an angle to each other, pistons in said cylinders provided with connecting-rods, bracket-arms on said cylinders, a wabbling frame, between the sets of cylinders, having radially-projecting trunnions pivotally connected with the bracketarms and connecting means Within the trunnions for the ends of the connecting-rods,

substantially as and for the purpose sct forth.

HARRY E. SMALLBONE.

In presence of- ALBERT D. BACCI, L. HEIsLAR. 

